Sweat glistened on her neck as Laura leaned into her heaving breath, her lungs aching for air. She clenched her teeth and willed her hands to move harder – faster – to launch her over the edge.

Her eyes clouded with hunger for release.

She lunged.

Thump. The punching bag groaned as her nylon fists pounded the sand, a dent settling in the spot where she envisioned Charlie Spectre's stuck-up face.

Thump. A blow to his callous jaw.

Thump. His smug grin. His hazy eyes.

Thump.

Anger drained from her mind and her arms fell limply to her sides.

Laura cast off her gloves and whipped a towel around her neck, the weight of the day finally hoisted from her shoulders. She pulled the fridge open and her fevered hands found the cold grace of a chilled can.

"Did that punching bag kill your family and your dog?" Tim grinned at her from behind the counter, the spoils of running Gymmy Jabs showing in his muscled frame.

She popped the can and sighed. "Don't mind me. Office drama – you know what that's like."

"Not really," he snickered. "If anyone in here gives me grief, they'd find themselves on the receiving end of a hundred-pound rep."

She chuckled and shook her head. "That's not really an option for me."

"Why not? I'm sure you suits have your version of hammering drills."

Laura rapped her finger on the can. Drill. It implied force. Repetition. Dominance.

She wondered if Charlie made a good drill.

She shoved the offensive thought from her mind. The idea of spending another miserable moment around that asshat burned her brain.

Still, she couldn't ignore the bribe that Henry was dangling over her head.

She had to find a way to make that leech work.

All she needed was a good drill.

♥

"Lexington & Leeds was a solid partner for five years." Laura glided her hand across the steering wheel, feeling the gentle purr of her car. "Now, they want to talk us down to two years. What do we want?"

She glanced away from the road and eyed as Charlie battled discomfort in the passenger seat. She'd forced him to ride in her Audi, knowing he must feel so out of place in anything less than a Tesla.

His hands fiddled with the black leather of his watch, and his eyes swam with unspoken words.

"Laura, if we can just –"

"What. Do we. Want?"

He sighed. "Ten years. We want them to sign ten years."

Drill.

Laura steered into a parking spot before a quaint hipster café. Its monochrome canopy flapped in the wind as she stepped out of her car, her heels tapping the pavement, her vanilla coat billowing in the breeze.

"Fifty million," she proclaimed as Charlie circled around the silver hood, his blue tie whipped by the wild air, and joined her on the sidewalk. "We need fifty million dollars to put us past ten percent growth this year. How much did last month's deal bring in?"

"Ten million," muttered Charlie, his brown strands bristling.

"And that leaves us with?"

"Thirty-eight."

Laura lowered her shades and searched his face for signs of a concussion.

He inhaled sharply. "You said South Pharma injected two million last week."

She nodded and wordlessly pushed through the glass door, tossing her urge to smile into the frigid wind.

Drill.

"Laura! How lovely to see you again!" A copper-haired woman rose from the couch in the corner, her bright grin slicing through the tension.

"Sophia, it's a pleasure as always," Laura returned and pulled her into a warm hug.

"And I see you brought the fresh meat." Sophia reached across the wooden table to shake Charlie's hand. "Sophia Rodriguez, chief of finance for Lexington & Leeds."

His lips pulled into a charming grin. "Charles Spectre, business development."

"Oh, you're Henry's boy! So this is what you're dealing with, Laura." Sophia smiled as she smoothed her grey dress and sat back down. Laura and Charlie followed suit.

"You know my father?" he asked.

"Certainly. We go way back, Henry and I." Her creased fingers curled around a cup of coffee and raised it to her glossed lips. "So, the prodigal son has returned. You've finally forsaken your wayward life."

Taking refuge behind the menu, Laura hitched her brows at the thickening mystery of Charlie Spectre.

"Better late than never," Charlie chuckled softly, his voice strangled by shyness.

Shelving her curiosity for later, Laura promptly waved a waitstaff down and asked for an earl grey with milk. Charlie glanced through the menu and ordered an English breakfast.

Sophia set her cup down with a gentle clink. "So, what can I do for Spectre?"

A rehearsed smile settled onto Laura's lips and she nodded firmly. "Charles here has some splendid plans for you."

He whisked his head towards her, a glint of doubt flashing in his eyes, before straightening his back and clearing his throat.

"We have a solid blueprint for our new app. As you know, PillBox will be the first-ever marketplace for hospitals to order medical supplies. After our third-quarter launch, we'll begin work on an automated chat bot providing immediate assistance to customer queries."

"Well," Sophia chuckled, clasping her hands together. "I've known Henry for decades – he considers computers his worst enemy. Still thinks robots are going to conquer the world. The young guys over at Flaco must have raised quite a storm to get you leaping into the arms of technology."

Like magnets, Laura's eyes locked with Charlie's. Flaco was formidable, but it was bad news when their own clients started to name-drop their rival. Their charged stare lingered for a second before Laura pulled away, offering Sophia a comforting smile.

"It's a competitive world. I'm sure you agree," she remarked. "We either pop the pill, or the pill pops us."

Sophia nodded gently and sipped her coffee. "So, new boy. What can I do for you?"

Charlie leaned further onto the wooden table. "Lexington & Leeds has been a friend of the Spectre family for years. Now, our relationship is cut short just because of some lines in a contract. Isn't that a pity? Can we not stay friends for longer?"

Under a sip of her earl grey tea, Laura fought the urge to smirk. The smooth charm of this man lathered like the sinful silk of melted chocolate.

Sophia seemed to agree, and unlike Laura, she was willing to show it. A brilliant smile settled on her lips as she studied the silver-tongued son of her old friend.

"To be quite frank, I don't give a hoot what Flaco is selling. I don't like their ethics, in work or in medicine. And personally, I think your old geezer Henry gives Terminator a little too much credit. Now, you two take this deal and show him that going viral isn't the same as catching a virus."

♥

As they drove away from the café, Laura still found herself wrestling with the smile that tugged at her mouth. She wasn't sure what to expect by tossing Charlie into a client meeting, but his smooth wit and charisma threw her for a loop.

A dizzying, hypnotic loop.

In the corner of her eye, she caught his gaze searching her face for a hint of... something. What did he want from her? Approval? Appreciation?

Adoration?

Whatever it was, she refused to relinquish. A wolf like him would only consume her whole.

He drummed his fingers against his knee and broke the silence. "I'll draft out the contract. Let me handle the paperwork."

"Don't bother," she muttered.

His breath escaped in a sharp exhale. "Laura, this is my job too. At least allow me to –"

"Sophia signed yesterday."

He gawked at her, his mouth stupidly agape.

"I already presented to her." Laura cast a pointed glance at him. "Today was just a drill."

As though her revelation had driven the final bullet into a leaking dam, Charlie exploded.

"Look! You can stop torturing me now, alright? I know I shouldn't have come after you – I was an arse to imply your job was easy. What does a man have to do to get on your good side?"

Laura blinked, confusion storming within her. Was he trying to pull some semblance of pity or kindness from her, so that he could stomp on it and call it wine?

She glared wordlessly at the road, her heart at war with her mind.

"I know what you must think of me," he ranted. "That I'm just the spoiled kid of Henry Spectre, here to rob you of your hard-earned career. The truth is, I've done some bloody horrible things. Sometimes I wonder if I even deserve a seat at the roundtable."

Laura shook her head, resigned to the truth. Whatever sins polluted this man's past, his father was still willing to let him through the ivory gates.

"None of it matters," she said. "Whether I train you or not, you're going to become our boss. The least I can do is make sure you're not utterly crap at it."

She sucked in a calming breath to tame her heart. Anger was not a good look on her.

Charlie swivelled to her, facing his back to the door. "I know my father cornered you. There's not much anyone can do about that. But please, at least allow me to make it up to you. I owe you that much."

His offer hung in the heated air of the car as her brain and heart battled for her attention.

She had to train him, and tension wasn't going to make it any easier. But, she could also just chuck him her notes and let him figure it out. She did it. Geri did it. Why should he get any concession?

More importantly, she didn't need the distraction.

As they pulled up at a junction, Charlie muttered coolly.

"There's a French café around this corner with banging truffle fries."

Laura whisked the wheel around, sending heart and mind flying out the window.

In the end, her stomach won.

♥